"I am a good driver": young people's constructions of themselves as road users

Abstract

Young people, especially young men, are a key target of a range of safe driving social marketing campaigns. Yet they continue to be overrepresented as drivers in road crashes. Interviews with a small sample of young drivers show that they understand driving in terms of skill, judgement and carefulness, but focus on skill. Despite their own evidence that they often drive dangerously, they represent themselves as good drivers, in part by using skill rather than care as the crucial criterion. This enables them to ignore the implications of both their 'occasional lapses' and 'drive safety' messages.